Acceptability of Self-sampling in Human Papillomavirus Deoxyribonucleic acid based Cervical Screening in Nepal: A...

Background Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in Nepal. Traditionally, healthcare professionals collect cervical specimens for Human Papillomavirus testing. Still, many women prefer self-collection, allowing them to sample in the comfort of their homes. Self-sampling has shown promise in other countries, but its acceptability in Nepal remains unexplored. Objective To assess the acceptability of Human papillomavirus self-sampling among women in Nepal. Method This community based single arm implementation study was conducted from 5 February 2021 to 17 July 2022 using mixed methods approach. For Cervical Cancer Screening, 1625 women aged 30-60 years were recruited and vaginal samples were collected using self-sampling technique. Quantitative data were collected by assessing sociodemographic, sexual and reproductive characteristics, awareness on cervical cancer and human papillomavirus vaccination, and acceptability. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews among 31 participants. Descriptive data were reported using frequencies and percentages. In-depth interviews were transcribed and coded using inductive and deductive methods. Result Among 1625 participants, 74% agreed to self-sample for screening. Among them, 98% found it easy to understand the directions to collect vaginal swabs, 96% reported ease in using a brush for sample collection, 89.6% found it painless and comfortable, 19.2% were afraid of hurting themselves while using the brush. Only 5.3% women felt embarrassed while self-collecting the sample. Qualitative results support these findings. Conclusion Increase cervical cancer screening participation rate with positive response towards self-screening indicates that Human papillomavirus self-sampling methods have potential to increase screening uptake, and achieve the national target of 70% screening coverage.